A Delicate Art
by lulunabo
Summary: Takes place several months after Silver Tears. As Riku gets better, Seifer's decided he wants to get to know him on a more personal level. Riku doesn't trust him with his heart, so what is Seifer going to do? Court him, of course. Yaoi warning
1. Start of a Plan

Disclaimer: Characters belong to their owners, not to me.

Warnings: Yaoi and fluff with some angst

Paring: SeiferxRiku; one-sided Soriku

This is the sequel of Silver Tears, and is set several months after those events. I wanted to set the two stories apart because this story is meant to contain more fluff than angst. However, considering the events that took place in the first part, I can't say that it's pure fluff. Riku's already haunted in the canon universe; I just made it worse for him.

The first segment here may seem out of place, but it will be alluded to later in this part, and hence why it's short.

Beta: Chibs

* * *

His silver hair fell like a curtain as he sat, looking at his books, and occasionally pushing some hair out of his face. Only when someone approached him did he look up.

"Go out with me." It was a blunt statement. Seifer always liked to get to the point.

Riku's face flushed with embarrassment, and a small smile appeared on his face. "No, Seifer. Thank you, but…I know your track record."

* * *

Seifer stared because he could. It was unfortunate for him that he wasn't quite at the right angle in the café to fully see Riku's face. He could tell that Riku had a slight smile on his face as he listened to his friends talk about who-knows-what.

Kairi sat straight up in her chair, hands clasped in her lap, and red hair framing her face. Her eyes sparkled with mirth, her smile stretching across her face to show her white teeth. Seifer could admit that she was pretty cute, though the way she held herself reminded him of a princess. At least she didn't act like one, but it still made Seifer steer clear of her. Besides that, it was the person beside her that made him never ask her out.

Sora sat directly across from Riku. He talked animatedly, his arms moving so much that it was a wonder he didn't knock things over. He appeared more relaxed than Kairi, but Seifer knew for a fact that he could be on his feet and in a fighting stance within seconds. As much as Seifer didn't like Sora, he admired Sora's strength. Those muscles came from fighting, and not a mere workout at a gym. No, Seifer had seen Sora fight. He was swift, innovative and could pack a punch. In a fight, his whole demeanor changed, his eyes sharp and piercing, the smile wiped from his face. Usually, however, he smiled. The huge grin that showed way too much teeth definitely gave Sora the aura of being a mere clown. His hair still looked like it had never seen a comb before. He had just enough fat on his body that he appeared younger than his age, but not enough to obscure his cheekbones.

Hayner, Pence and Olette, as usual, were also with them, but he didn't pay too much attention to them. Instead, he looked at what he could see of Riku.

Riku intrigued him from the moment they met. Riku spoke casually to him, almost as if he knew Seifer. His blue eyes felt like they had pierced into him, almost as if he could see all of Seifer's mistakes. That, or he had just been a bit angry at being called 'kitten.' Seifer didn't bother to ask.

His silver hair looked as if they would feel like thin threads of silk and they framed his oval face. And his lips…well, Seifer imagined that they were quite soft and full, even though the rest of Riku's body was quite hard.

Seifer knew that Sora wasn't the only one with strength. Before Riku's rape, he had fought, and given quite a few good hits to his opponents. His muscles weren't huge, but definitely defined, including his abs. Seifer dreamed about those abs, and just about everything else. He wanted to feel those long legs wrapped around his waist.

It was unfortunate for Seifer's brain that Riku started to wear even baggier clothing after the assault, though he could understand why. He missed the tiny glimpses of skin that could be seen when he moved. If the weather wasn't nice, Seifer was sure that Riku would have worn long, baggy sweaters instead of the oversized t-shirt he wore. Well, at least he got to look at his arms…

A kick brought him back to his senses. He glared at Fujin.

"Kick a little harder, why don't you?" he said.

"Staring," Fujin merely stated. She was a good friend, but often appeared intimidating to others. She barely showed any emotions on her round face, and spoke to a bare minimum. Sometimes Seifer wondered how he could interpret her one-word language.

"There's no law against staring," he replied.

"You're making them nervous, ya know?" said Raijin, sitting right next to Fujin. There were barely any other words but 'big' that could describe Raijin. He had grown to be a burly man…who also happened to have the mentality of a good teddy bear. Rai seemed to smile enough for both himself and Fujin.

Seifer glanced over at the others again. Hayner glared at him, which came as no surprsie. There was no love lost between them. However, Sora followed Hayner's line of sight, and soon two glares were directed in his direction. Despite his displeasure at the two, at least they were useful for something. Their actions led Riku to wonder what distracted them, which made Riku turn to look at him.

He smirked at Riku, not even bothering to hide his previous actions. This earned him a slight coloration of cheeks, as well as a roll of the eyes, before Riku turned around to talk to the others.

"Seifer, man, you're worrying us," said Raijin, shaking his head. "Dontcha think this obsession with Riku's a bit much?"

The lack of the statement 'ya know' that Raijin often overused to end a sentence made him focus back on his friends. He frowned.

He supposed that there were good reasons to worry about him. He never hesitated with relationships. If he found someone attractive, then he'd go after that person. If they said 'no,' then he'd just shrug his shoulders and move on to someone else. He suspected that his friends weren't exactly supportive of such methods. On the other hand, he didn't go around and have one-night stands all the time. In fact, he usually at least tried to know the person. It simply wasn't his fault he didn't find any of them attractive enough to stay with them for longer than a few weeks. The point was that usually he didn't allow rejections or past relationships to get in the way…usually, but not this time.

After helping Riku, Seifer's focus on others kept straying. He tried to hook up with a few people, but as time passed and he watched Riku getting better, physically and mentally, Seifer had trouble actually doing anything beyond making-out. He'd imagine those piercing aqua eyes and long silver hair, and he couldn't continue with the relationship. It somewhat humiliated him, especially as rumors spread that he was having a dry spell. He even once caught Hayner joking about it with his friends. That led to another fight between them.

After the incident, Fujin and Raijin pulled him aside to talk about it. His actions were very atypical, and they knew immediately why.

Raijin thought that perhaps because he had helped Riku, then he felt some sort of connection to him. Seifer could not decide if that was wisdom or some sort of weird earthy-voodoo-something idea. Fujin remained mostly quiet on the subject, but occasionally, he thought he saw her smirk out of the corner of his eyes whenever he watched Riku.

Then, about a week ago, he decided that waiting was overrated. He approached Riku in the library and asked him out. Riku's voice was soft when he rejected him. This time, however, the rejection left a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew that Riku had to be somewhat attracted to him in order to talk to him on occasion and even blush if they stood too close. Not that Seifer did that on purpose…

"What's there to worry about?" he asked.

"It's not like you to want someone this bad, ya know?"

He sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Yeah, I know."

For just a second, he thought he saw Fujin smirk again, but when he looked at her, she merely raised an eyebrow. One day, he was going to catch her.

"What?" he said instead.

She shrugged.

He didn't have a chance to question her when the shout of, "Sora," from numerous voices made him look once more in Riku's general direction.

Fujin and Raijin stood up as Sora approached them, a frown marring his face. His friends stood as well, looking over at them to see what would happen, slight frowns on their faces to indicate their agitation. Riku, however, blushed an even darker shade of red, which delighted Seifer. It was a shame that Sora came to stand right in front of him, blocking his view.

Seifer remained seated, leaning his head on his curled hand and looking up with a smile on his face.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I don't want to play any games with you. I know what you did for him, and I'm grateful for that, but from now on, stay away from him."

Seifer stood up, the smile no longer on his face. "You're not his boyfriend. What right do you have to talk to me that way?"

"Because I'm his best friend, and I know you asked him out. I don't want you using him and then throwing him away. He deserves better than that."

All of Seifer's muscles tightened. He thought about starting a fight, but knew that wouldn't earn him any points with Riku.

"Who said I'd do that?"

"I've heard about your relationships. I know that you don't exactly just play with people, but you've never stayed with anyone, either."

"Maybe this time'll be different."

Sora snorted. "He won't go out with you. He doesn't trust you."

"Then maybe I'll just prove to him that I can be a reliable boyfriend."

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do? Court him?" The half smile on Sora's face was mocking. It really pissed Seifer off.

"Sure."

This one word seemed to stun Sora, who took a step back, all expressions wiped from his face except confusion.

"Huh?"

Seifer smirked. "Thanks for the idea. That sounds like the perfect plan."

He walked around Sora, his mind already formulating several different ideas as he walked towards Riku. He ignored everyone else.

"Seifer," Riku managed to say before Seifer took his hand in his, and gave it a kiss.

"I hope you don't mind too much, Riku, but I'll prove to you I'm serious."

And with that, Seifer left the café.


	2. Meaning of Flowers

Seifer sat, tapping his fingers on the table and flipping through a book. Just for some fun, he bought a book entitled, "Pick-up Lines That'll Perk You Up," thinking it was something dirty, and discovered it contained the worst lines ever known to humankind…and other kind for that matter.

"This has got to be the worst thing I've ever bought in my life," he said, flipping to the next page, then shaking his head as he glanced at the words.

"Why'd ya get it anyway?" asked Raijin, glancing at a page and grimacing.

"Eh, I thought it'd be funny."

Fujin snorted.

"You have something to say, Fu?" asked Seifer, raising an eyebrow.

"No," she replied.

Seifer leaned back. "The problem is, I said I'd do that whole courting thing, but I have no idea how to start."

"Didn't ya already kinda start by kissing him on the hand and all?"

"More like a warning, really. I mean, you have to warn them and all, and then you start the whole sending flowers and…" Seifer trailed off, his eyes un-focusing.

"…no…" said Fujin, managing to sound horrified with just that one word.

"Flowers? Ain't that what you do with a girl? I mean, he's not a girl, so he'll get pissed and all, right?"

Seifer took a moment to think about this, then nodded his head. "Yeah, probably."

They sat in relative silence as Fujin took a sip of her coffee, while Raijin fought the wrapper on his muffin.

"So, which flowers do you think he'll like the best?"

* * *

"I hate psychology," mumbled Sora.

"I don't see why," said Kairi. "It's not like that chemistry stuff you like so much, so what's the big deal?"

"It's boring!"

Riku chuckled as he opened the door for his friends. The class was fairly full, and they found some seats in the back. Sora practically flopped into his seat, leaning his head back to look at the ceiling. Kairi shook her head, getting her book out, then her notebook. She carefully organized the two on the table before hitting Sora upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Get your books out!"

Riku looked amused as the two started to bicker. Kairi gave him a glare, but returned to pestering Sora instead. Riku took his notes in his book, much to Kairi's displeasure, but at least he bothered to listen. Sora had a tendency to take a nap in the middle of psychology.

Kairi had managed to at least get Sora's notebook out when the teacher finally came in and began her lecture. Sora yawned.

Then, there was a soft tap on the door, interrupting the teacher, and person very slowly opened the door.

"Uh, sorry…" said the person.

"Did you need something, young man?" asked the teacher.

"Uh, well, I was sent to deliver some flowers, but I didn't know it was the middle of the class…"

Riku wasn't sure how to describe it except that the eyes of the teacher seemed to light up. He had a feeling she was going to try to find some way to tie this all into psychology, and felt sorry for the hapless victim.

"Well, come in, come in. Who's the lucky individual?"

"I didn't get a name, ma'am. Person gave me a picture." The picture was handed to the teacher. She looked up and scanned the rows of tables, before falling on him. All eyes suddenly turned to him, and he felt his face warm up.

"Yeah! Here ya go, sir!"

Riku could hear the snickers from other students as the flowers were handed to him. However, nobody said anything until the deliverer walked.

"Now, let's talk about Riku's reaction…" began the teacher.

* * *

"Seifer!" called a voice from behind. He stopped and turned, watching as people moved quickly to avoid Riku as he stormed his way. In one of his hands were the flowers.

"Can I help…" he managed to get out before Riku hit him in the face with the flowers as if it were a bat.

"What the hell were you thinking, sending those in the middle of class?" said Riku, ignoring the sudden increase in giggling in their general area. Sora and Kairi stood behind Riku, both of them unsure if they should be angry or amused by Seifer's act.

"I just sent some flowers," he replied, wondering if he had any pollen on his face. Riku waved the flowers dangerously close.

"You….you are impossible!"

"So I've been told."

"You're actually serious about…about…"

"Courting you? I thought sending the flowers would make that one clear to you."

Riku shook his head, his face tinged pink. Seifer was almost tempted to try and get a kiss, but figured that might go too far at this point. No, he had to move slowly to give Riku time to adjust to the idea.

"Flowers?"

"Well, Fu and Rai thought it was a bad idea, but then I started to read about this language of flowers, and decided to do it anyway."

Riku took a step back, blinking, then looked at the flowers in his hand."

"What do you mean?"

"You know. Each flower symbolizes something." Seifer moved closer to Riku and took his hand gently, raising the flowers so they were directly in front.

"You see, this flower indicates that I'm thinking of you, while this flower indicates innocence. Then this third flower represents faithfulness and the last…"

Seifer leaned forward and said softly, "desire." He was pleased to see Riku shiver just a little.

"O-oh," Riku said as he took a step away. Seifer really wanted to grab him and hold him, but knew this would be a mistake.

"T-thank you, then…"

"So you like them?"

"I…errr…have to go!" With those words, Riku practically ran away. Kairi was giggling softly to herself, and Sora looked like he wasn't sure who to aim his glare at.

However, Seifer noticed that Riku did not throw the flowers away.

* * *

Notes: Some of the ideas for the meaning of flowers actually came from wikipedia, but I decided in the end not to use actual flower names


	3. Of Caring Friends and Past Issues

Sora glared at Kairi as she tried her best to stop giggling, and failed miserably. What exactly she saw amusing with a bunch of flowers was beyond him, and he said so.

"I'm not giggling because it's funny, dumdum. I'm giggling because it's cute!"

Riku looked down, scratching something out on his piece of paper, his hair falling to cover his face. However, Sora saw the slight tinge of pink on his best friend's cheeks.

"It's not cute at all!" yelled Hayner. "It's….disturbing! Stop laughing, Olette!"

"I can't help it," replied the other girl. "It's just hilarious to see how you two are blowing this all out of proportion."

"I am not blowing this out of proportion," snapped Sora. "This is Seifer we're talking about. He's…he's a bully!" His grip on his pencil tightened.

"He did help me," Riku said quietly, not looking at anyone directly. Sora said nothing to this, because he knew that was the truth. Yet perhaps that had been part of his duties at the job, and no real interest in Riku himself. Sora couldn't quite put his finger why the idea of Riku dating Seifer bothered him.

"Sora, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous," said Kairi, no longer laughing.

With a snap, Riku's textbook closed, and he got up.

"I'm getting some air," he said, not giving anyone the opportunity to stop him.

* * *

The breeze was just a tad too chilly for his tastes, but Riku decided he would rather freeze than currently return to the room. He felt uncertain of how to react to Sora's rather odd way of taking Seifer's advances towards him. Before, he might actually have believed Sora liked him, had he not rejected him months previous.

Beforehand, he would have been thrilled at the very notion. Now, he wasn't certain how to react.

Kairi sat down quietly beside him, and she took his hand in hers, rubbing some warmth back into the chilled digits.

"I didn't mean to upset you," she said.

"It's all right. It's not like what you said wasn't true. He is kinda acting like he's jealous."

"And that's upsetting you. Do you still love him, Riku?"

Riku thought about this for a little bit. It was true that he still liked Sora a lot, despite being turned down. Sora saved him from the darkness, helped him defeat the evil inside his heart, and never stopped considering him a friend. What they had gone through would never be understood by anyone else, even Kairi. But even before that, they were best friends.

Yet now, Seifer was attempting to push his way into Riku's heart. Riku knew that Seifer had indeed been a big bully when younger, starting fights with Hayner and his gang, as well as aggravating Sora. When Riku refused to date him, he had been certain Seifer would move on to someone else, as he usually did.

Seifer had not. He had kissed Riku's hand and sent him flowers. They had returned to his room to find that a box of chocolates had been left for him as well.

He could not believe that Seifer would put so much effort into something if he really didn't want to, and yet, Riku could not let go of the uncertainty that in the end, he would be used and tossed away.

He sighed. "I guess I still do, but…"

"Seifer?"

"Yeah."

They remained silent, Riku's hand still held by Kairi. To someone who didn't know better, they might have looked like they were dating.

"You gotta admit he's got some nice looking abs," Kairi finally said. Riku chuckled even as his face flushed.

"Yeah, that's true."

"He definitely works out."

Riku coughed to hide his embarrassment, and Kairi giggled.

"Great body or no, if he does anything stupid, I'll personally bash him over the head with my key blade!"

And Riku had no doubt Kairi would do just that.

* * *

Seifer watched closely as the color spread across Riku's cheeks, and his over-active mind couldn't help but wonder what Riku would look like during sex. Would he be more red? Would his eyes, now avoiding him, be dilated with pleasure? How would it feel to plunge into his body?

Seifer could feel his own body flush at the thoughts, and forced himself to think of other things. It would not do to try and push the other man. The whole point was the prove to everyone that he could go through with this, that he could take things slowly and stick to it.

"I know you said 'no' beforehand, but won't you at least go out with me once to dinner?" said Seifer. "If you decide in the end to just be friends, that's fine."

"Why do you want to date me so bad?" Riku asked quietly. Seifer thought about this, uncertain of how to respond. He thought about saying something witty, but what came out was the truth.

"I don't know. I want to say that it's because of some obvious reason, but it's not. You're beautiful and strong, but you're not the only one that way either. But nobody else draws me in like you do."

For several seconds, he thought he said too much. He began to think of a few apologies to give, but Riku looked up. His eyes focused on him, and Seifer felt as if he were being stripped down, and examined.

"One dinner," said Riku. "We'll see where to go after that, okay?"

Seifer managed to keep the smirk off his face. "Okay."

* * *

Kairi grinned at Riku as she combed his hair. She knew that Riku was already nervous about the date, so she made sure that she was the only one there. She didn't want to leave Riku alone with his thoughts since she knew that he often came to the wrong assumptions, but she certainly didn't want Sora's scowl to darken the mood.

She had helped Riku chose something simple for tonight: a simple pair of comfortable, black slacks, and a black turtleneck, both items that flattered his figure but did not cling to him like a second skin. He didn't wear any jewelry, though she kinda wished she could convince him to get at least one earring. Her pestering had not paid off yet.

When the doorbell rang, the two of them jumped.

"I'll go get the door first! Gimme just a minute with him," she said. Riku gave her a look that questioned what her plans were, but he did not say anything.

When she opened the door, she made sure that a huge smile was plastered on her face.

Seifer, she had to admit, was quite handsome. He had chosen a short-sleeved silk, blue dress shirt, with the first few buttons opened to show just a bit of his chest. His dark blue slacks were simple and not too tight. Kairi would have killed him on the spot if he had worn anything too tight for a first date.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I'll give you a quick warning before you take Riku out," she said softly, not wasting any time. "If you hurt him in any way, I will find you and make sure you're always the bottom in a relationship. Got it?"

Seifer's mouth fell open, then turned to look as Riku walked out of the bedroom. Riku's eyebrows raised, and he looked at Kairi, who was still grinning.

"You two have a great night out! I'll lock the door on my way out" she said, practically pushing them out the door.

"You've got scary friends," she heard Seifer say. Kairi laughed.

* * *

Somewhere in the back of Riku's mind, he knew that Seifer had money. Seifer usually always wore the trendy clothes, had expensive items and his own apartment. He just didn't think that they would go to one of the most expensive restaurants in the area. The waiters didn't need to say anything for Riku to get the feeling that they were pompous.

"The attitude's a little lacking," whispered Seifer, as if reading his mind, "but the food's awesome. And in case you're wondering, I had to come here a few times with my parents."

Riku wondered about this last part. It didn't sound like Seifer enjoyed the times he spent with his parents, but he didn't know how to bring that subject up. He figured eventually they would talk about it if they began a relationship.

It was then that Riku realized how little he really knew about Seifer's personal life.

"You know," said Seifer, after helping Riku into his seat, then taking his own, "you think way too much."

Riku colored at this statement. "It's in my nature." Quietly, the ordered before returning to their conversation.

"So, what were you thinking about this time?"

"How little I know about you," Riku admitted.

"Hm. Well, I'm Seifer Almasy, the son of the well-off Senator Almasy and his 'lovely wife.' Seifer rolled his eyes. "They're both a bit too much into making themselves look all first class and crap. That's why I decided to work with my cousin, Rufus Shinra."

"He's the man who owns Dark Nation and Forgotten City?"

"Yeah, that's two of his clubs. Anyway, I work mostly at Forgotten City, though he sometimes makes me rotate."

"Do you really want to keep working at those clubs?" asked Riku, a little uncertain what to make of them. Seifer waited for their food to arrive before continuing.

"It's…complicated. At first, it was to piss my dad off. But, you know…over time you start to know people who work there. They do this stuff for one reason or another, and you start to care. And you think 'hey, these people need to be protected, too.' You start to see that even if people don't want this stuff, it's not going to go away. There's always people who are going to pay for sex, but the workers need protection too. And that's our job. It's not something that's necessarily glamorous, but someone's gotta do it."

Riku nodded his head, a little surprised at Seifer's answer. "You saved me that day."

Seifer rubbed the back of his head, realizing that their conversation had taken a far more serious tone than he had intended. His wish had been to enjoy the evening, not to bring up painful memories.

"Well, you know I always wanted to be a knight," he said. "When I was a kid, I would dream of becoming one and saving the world."

"Seriously?" asked Riku.

"I'm serious. Didn't you have dreams like that?"

For several seconds, Riku said nothing, but finally said, "Yeah. My dream was to leave the Islands and find power to protect my friends."

"This has to do with how Sora got to Twilight Town years ago, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Seifer studied Riku for several seconds, debating whether to ask his next question. He knew that it would make things awkward, but he figured that the date hadn't really gone as planned anyway.

"I don't suppose you'd tell me what happened?"

"I don't think you'd believe me if I did," said Riku.

"Well, I guess you'll never know if you don't try, right?"

Riku said nothing at first, merely poking at the remains of his food. Then, he looked up, and quietly, began to tell Seifer of Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Notes: There was supposed to be more romance here...instead they got serious. What's up with that?


	4. Fighting for his Hand

Seifer tried to wrap his mind around the idea of Kingdom Hearts. Just hearing about it made it seem like some sort of twisted fairytale. Kairi, a Princess of Heart? Sora, the Keyblade Master? And Riku…

Really, disbelieving would be easiest, but Seifer remembered years ago, when the shadows seemed to move, and white creatures danced around them. Sora had come to their rescue, carrying a large key-shaped blade. He never asked about it, since the creatures disappeared, and everyone returned to their lives.

Sometimes, rumors spread, and people would talk in hushed voices when Sora walked by, but nobody elaborated or confirmed the stories.

The stories sounded like ones a madman would make up. Yet Seifer couldn't shake the idea that everything Riku said was true.

Seifer sighed, intending to just relax until he felt sleepy, but a knock on the door interrupted him.

* * *

Riku sighed, tempted to hit his head into a table or wall. How could he have been so stupid to admit all those things to Seifer? He figured that maybe, if their relationship really did escalate, then maybe he would talk about the events from the past. Even then, it would have sounded entirely insane. In fact, just thinking about it seemed insane, and Riku had indeed been a part of it.

His side throbbed a bit. "I'm an idiot," he said.

"Why?" Kairi asked, entering with two cups of tea.

"I told Seifer. Everything. About Kingdom Hearts."

Kairi blinked a few times, then put the cups down carefully. "What possessed you to do that?"

"I don't know," Riku moaned. "He just asked me, and it all came out once I started. I know he saw some Nobodies, and he knew something was going on."

"Oh Riku…" Kairi sighed and pat one of his hands.

"Maybe I'm just not meant to have a relationship. Maybe I…hey!" Riku raised his hand as Kairi continued to smack him with her notebook.

"Don't you dare think like that, you idiot!"

"But it could be true," retorted Riku. "Stop it!"

When Sora entered the kitchen, Kairi finally stopped hitting Riku. The small, lopsided smile informed them something was wrong.

"Sora?" Kairi said simply.

Sora rubbed the back of his neck, and gave a small laugh. "Look, uh…don't get angry…"

"Nothing starts with that and ends up good…what did you do this time, Sora?" asked Riku.

"Well…see…me and Ven kinda talked…"

Riku's eyes widened. "No…Sora, don't tell me you told Ven about Seifer…"

"I swear that I didn't mean it to be a bad thing!" Sora said, his voice a near whine.

Kairi shook her head. "Well, we'll just talk to them and tell them everything's okay…"

"Is everything okay?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at the doorway. Riku felt a stab of pain as he looked at Ventus, the blonde reminding him of Roxas and all the things that happened because of the Organization. Behind him, a woman with blue hair stood, smiling at them. Kairi ran to the woman, the two usually proper females practically squealing as they hugged.

"Where's Terra?" Riku asked, immediately noticing that the brunette was missing.

This time, Ven looked a bit sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. "About that…"

* * *

Seifer raised an eyebrow as he opened the door to reveal a young man, several inches taller than him, waiting for him, his arms crossed. His dark hair was spiked in the back, and his blue eyes did not waver a bit as he stared at him. Seifer immediately noticed the man's muscles. He was a fighter.

"Can I help you?"

"My name's Terra. I'm a friend of Riku's."

Seifer studied the man. Terra stood about a foot taller than him, and his arms were muscular. He wore baggy pants, but he wore a tight t-shirt, showing off more muscles. The man looked like he could break him in half. Seifer was almost envious.

"If you've come here to threaten to rip my balls off, I've already heard it."

Terra's eyebrows shot upwards, a slight dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks. It surprised Seifer a little; he figured a looker like this would act far less…innocent.

"Well, actually, that's not exactly what I wanted to say…"

* * *

Riku practically tore through the streets, the others, except Kairi, managing to steadily follow him, but just barely. Plus, he had a head start.

A slight frown marred his face as he saw both Terra and Seifer walking out. Sheer terror seized him when he saw Seifer carrying a gunblade.

"What the hell are you two doing?" he yelled, the sound making several birds fly up and away. The street was eerily quiet after his outburst, and he thought he saw several eyes on the group.

"Duel," said Seifer with a shrug.

"Oh, how sweet," came Kairi's voice as she slid off Ven's back. "But don't you think that's a bit old-fashioned?"

"What are you talking about, Kairi?" exclaimed Ven.

"Fighting for Riku's hand, duh."

The words made Riku's cheeks warm, though ice crawled down his back at the idea of Terra trying to get his attentions too. Ven dispelled the idea quickly with the words, "That's silly! Terra and I are going out!"

Nearly everyone looked at Ven, who blushed at the sudden attention. Seifer rolled his eyes.

"When did this happen?" Sora asked, his eyes wider than normal.

"A few months ago," Terra said, his face the shade of beets. "Anyway, I'm fighting him to see if he's even got what it takes to protect you even a little. We don't want a repeat of…events," Terra finished, hesitating at the last few words.

"I already know about Kingdom Hearts, if that's what you're talking about," Seifer drawled.

Terra blinked at the news, then nodded. "Good. Then I really don't have to hold back."

A keyblade appeared in Terra's hand, and Seifer took a step back, studying the blade.

"Wait! You can't do this. It's too dangerous!"

"Relax," replied Seifer, slipping into a fighting stance, his knees slightly bent, gunblade at hand. "We're not going to break anything. You ready, old man?"

Terra sliced the air once. "Show me what you've got."

* * *

Seifer hated to admit defeat. That was part of the reason he always practiced. But when Terra charged him, he found out quickly that Terra was a master.

Each powerful blow was calculated to hit him at his weakest moments, and he felt like he fumbled to defend himself. He noticed that Terra moved slower, though, so he backed away for a moment, realizing that he would have to change his strategy.

Terra gave him little time to recoup, once again attempting to hit him, but this time, instead of meeting the slash, he ducked under it and quickly twisted around Terra. The move seemed to surprise the older man, even as he blocked Seifer's own attack, but a small smile appeared on his lips with a barely there nod of approval. Seifer didn't give himself time to preen.

Seifer kept trying to move quicker than Terra, moving, twisting and even jumping to get behind the older man. He managed to get a few good swipes, but even he had his limits.

The sword fell to the ground, and Seifer eyed it for a second, deciding whether he had the time to grab it. He tried anyway.

He almost wished he hadn't, too. Terra grabbed one of his wrists, yanked him around and slammed him into a tree. Seifer groaned.

"Terra!" he heard Riku snap.

"You did good for an inexperienced brat," said Terra softly, letting him go.

"Thanks, I think," Seifer replied, rubbing the side of his face. He jumped just a little as he felt something wash over him, and the pain disappear. Riku punched Terra in the arm.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You're supposed to be the adult!"

Terra rubbed his arm. "I am. I'm being the over-protective father."

"Threatening him with a fight is one thing! Fighting him is completely different."

"He's a pretty decent fighter, Riku. Anyway, I wasn't going to seriously hurt him."

Riku huffed, glaring at Terra, before punching Seifer in the arm. "And you! What the hell were you thinking?"

Seifer glared right back. "Proving to you that I can help you if you need me, duh."

"I don't need your protection," snapped Riku.

"Nobody asked you. It's just something I do," Seifer replied, standing his ground.

Riku opened his mouth to reply, then lifted his hands to the sky. "I give up!"


	5. Forget Diplomacy

Warning: Graphic yaoi

* * *

* * *

Seifer could be called many things, such as a bastard, but 'stupid' was not one of them. So he was a bit surprised he decided on his next course of action, despite his brain telling him that he was probably breaking an unspoken rule of courting.

Still, after dealing with the frustration of getting beat up by Terra, and restraining himself from molesting Riku, he felt somewhat justified in his actions. Sure, knowing Riku's schedule put him in the 'creeper' category, but he didn't want to show up at his door and wait an hour.

Oh, he knew that what he was about to do definitely did not fall under the guidelines of proper courting, but he had been good up to this point. Just one kiss or two…maybe a grope…

He knocked on the door, waiting, his heart rate increasing. The door opened, and Seifer's mind shut down. Riku stood with hair still dripping wet, only a towel around his waist. Seifer's eyes followed the contours of Riku's muscles before finally looking at him.

"Seifer?" Riku said, eyes wider than normal, his cheeks dusted with pink.

"Do you mind if I come in?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Riku stepped back, allowing Seifer inside, and closed the door after him.

Seifer didn't wait. He pushed Riku against the door, claiming his lips with his own. A part of him knew that Riku could fight him if he wanted to, and Seifer would back off. Riku tensed, his eyes opening wider, before he relaxed his body, his eyes falling half-closed while his mouth opened a little. He didn't take the invitation quite yet.

Seifer felt a bit guilty for the sudden attack, but at least he hadn't been beaten up yet. Carefully, he moved even closer, their bodies pressed together, his kiss becoming more harsh at the close contact. He slowly slipped his tongue inside Riku's mouth. Hands slowly wrapped around him, and Seifer shivered, finally breaking the kiss.

A rosy tinge colored Riku's cheeks, and the pupils of his eyes were dilated.

"I'm sorry," Seifer said, his voice deeper. "I know I should go slower, and that Terra's probably going to murder me in my sleep. You're driving me crazy."

A small smile stretched across Riku's face. "I'm driving you crazy?"

"Yeah. For a long time. I tried to move on, you know. I tried to act like I did beforehand, but whenever I tried anything with another person, I'd think of you. I'd dream of you. I couldn't do anything with another person. And I'd watch you."

Riku shivered, his cheeks darkening. "You watched me a lot…Sora sometimes noticed."

Seifer scowled. "He's too sharp sometimes."

"Stalker," Riku laughed.

Seifer flushed. "Yeah…guess I am."

Riku pushed him gently away, and the towel slipped to the floor. Seifer licked his lips as he saw that Riku was aroused as well.

"Are you sure you want me?" Riku asked softly. "I'm pretty messed up after everything. Do you think you can handle it?"

"I don't know," Seifer said honestly. "I want to say 'sure, no problem,' but I've never had to really worry about stuff like that."

"You really are serious," Riku whispered.

"Yeah…guess I am…"

Riku gently placed his palms on Seifer's chest, pushing him, and he took the hint, walking backwards carefully.

"Sit," Riku murmured. Seifer carefully sat down, but had to spread his legs as Riku knelt down in front of him.

"Riku…"

Riku's eyes didn't waver from Seifer's, fingers working at his pants and undoing them just enough to release his cock. He remained still, except for his fingers running through Riku's hair.

"You don't have to do this," Seifer said, even if he hoped Riku would continue.

"You think I don't know that?" Riku smirked, then bent his head down. With little nips and licks, Riku worked his way from the base to the tip, slowing down to suck at the slit.

"Fuck," Seifer said, closing his eyes at the pleasure.

"Yes," hissed Riku, climbing into Seifer's lap. Seifer's eyes opened, but instead of a response, he merely pulled Riku into a kiss.

Abruptly, Seifer pulled away. "I may be breaking the rules of proper courtship, but I'm at least going to demand a bed for this."

Riku's temporary confusion at the action morphed into a smirk. "All right."

Seifer stood, finally slipping out of his shoes, pants and underwear, but not before removing a small bottle of lube. He followed Riku into the bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked.

"Are you scared?" Seifer asked, throwing his shirt into the corner.

"Terrified," Riku replied, moving to the middle of the bed, and spreading his legs.

"Just don't punch me." Seifer carefully got onto the bed and crawled over Riku.

"I'll try?" The answer was accompanied with a smirk.

Seifer snorted. "Thanks," he said. He wasted little time on stretching Riku, mostly taking his cues from his partner. Seifer knew it had to hurt somewhat, because he could read the discomfort in Riku's eyes, but Riku did not lay idle. He moved gently against the fingers, helping Seifer stretch him.

"It'll be easier on you if you're on your knees."

Riku shook his head. "I need to see you. I want you to take me on my back."

"But we could…"

"On my back," repeated Riku, then slightly rolled, pulling his legs apart with his own hands.

Seifer considered arguing for only a few seconds. In those seconds, he lubed up his own cock before practically draping himself over Riku.

"You can't take this back once it's happened."

"I know," Riku said, moving one leg to rest on Seifer's back.

With a steady, but slow, pace, Seifer slid into Riku, and finally knew that the wait had indeed been worth it.

* * *

They lay tangled together, the sheets stained and come slipping out of Riku. He murmurs a healing spell for both of them, easing sore muscles and healing scrapes and other injuries. They talk softly about random things, like stupid stuff they did as children, what it feels like to travel, or silly stories about their friends.

The talk would shift, and their lips would meet in small kisses, their legs tangling together. Finally, Seifer would slip into Riku, relishing in the small gasp he received whenever he entered fully.

Then the cycle repeated, with various interludes, throughout the night.


	6. The Future

The soft sound of ceramic being placed onto the countertop woke Seifer up. He felt Riku tense, then relax. Seifer figured Riku was probably awake, but didn't seem ready to leave the comfort of the bed.

Seifer almost considered staying in bed too, but curiosity won the battle. As carefully as he could, he slipped out of bed, put on some pants and made his way to the kitchen.

Sora sat with a cup of coffee, watching him as he walked in. It was disconcerting to imagine the usually frighteningly happy individual in front of him breaking in, and even more so when said individual merely watched him without comment. He expected yelling, or maybe even a fight.

In the recesses of memory, something tugged at his mind. Eyes like ice and blonde hair…

"Well?" he said.

"Sit down," replied Sora.

He almost argued, but did as he was told. He hadn't lied to Terra when he said he knew about Kingdom Hearts and the keybladers. He knew who were the fighters, though they downplayed their roles. He just didn't know all the details.

Without pause, Sora told everything about Kingdom Hearts, and not just the stuff general people knew from King Mickey, or the information he found out pertaining to his home and the Nobodies. Sora told him everything Riku had done, the good and the bad.

Riku, he decided, seemed to attract bad luck like a magnet attracts certain metal, and visa versa. He kept that particular thought to himself. Experience told him that if Sora didn't beat him up for the comment, Kairi probably would come after him, followed by a slew of others.

At least he understood why they were overly protective. Riku needed protecting, from himself and others.

"You're not like us," said Sora.

He bristled at the comment. "And so that makes all the other people weak because they can't wield a key blade like you? Remind me who your partners were?"

Sora's fingers tapped on the table for a second.

"No, but you can walk away," he finally said.

Seifer realized that Sora did have a point. And really, that was the whole point. Seifer could walk away, even right now. He could be one of those people who used Riku, or maybe even leave him at some point in the future when something popped up. Sora had mentioned the possibility of Heartless reappearing, or some other creatures. And then…?

"If you're asking me what I'm going to do, then the answer's 'I don't know,' okay?" he snapped. "You drop everything onto my lap and expect me to make decisions on what might happen?"

"Possibly?"

"Give me a break!" he nearly snarled.

"Stop it, Sora," said Riku from the doorway, jolting Seifer out of anger. Seifer hadn't heard him, but Sora didn't appear surprised.

"He had to know at some point. If he stays, that is," said Sora.

"And who decided it'd be a good idea to tell him?" asked Riku, pouring some coffee into mugs.

"Terra and Ventus said he should know eventually…"

"And you came this morning…?"

Sora looked a bit sheepish. "Kairi saw Seifer come here…"

Riku rolled his eyes as he placed a mug next to Seifer.

"Sora, do you mind if I talk to Seifer a bit. I'll be over later."

Sora hesitated, then nodded, practically fleeing the room.

"Thanks for being honest," said Riku.

"What?" he asked, thrown off by the comment.

"For saying that you 'don't know' what you'll do in the future. I'm not sure how I would have reacted after such a story."

Seifer frowned. "I knew some things. I just never had all the details."

"A good portion of things are meant to be kept secret, but Sora's not one for subtlety, and most noticed how…he seemed to stand out even when he tried to remain inconspicuous," Riku said, with a sigh. "The King decided to let parts and pieces be known, but not whole truths. That's why people recognize keybladers, but don't necessarily know their specific roles in the wars."

"So what? He's trying to scare me off or something?" asked Seifer.

"Actually, I think you impressed him when you fought Terra."

The words surprised him, so Seifer didn't know what to say.

"Is something happening?" he finally asked. "Is that why he told me everything?"Riku hesitated a second, then said, "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like there's something, but I don't know for sure."

Seifer sighed. "Maybe it's wrong, but I'd rather just worry about what we're going to do for breakfast instead of what might happen if things suddenly start looming out of the shadows."

"Breakfast?" asked Riku with a small smile.

"I need way more coffee to process everything he said," replied Seifer, with a casual shrug.

"You'll need more than coffee. I know how Sora tells stories."

"Is that a promise?" Seifer asked, smirking. The comment earned him a lovely view of Riku's blushing features.

"Maybe," Riku finally said. "Are you really…interested still?"

"Yeah," said Seifer. "I can't promise eternity, but I can give you now."

Riku smiled.

"That doesn't sound so bad, really."

* * *

Notes: Good grief. Just good grief. I didn't mean for it to end quite on such a somber note, but I really felt I had to end it. I actually have an idea for another SeiferRiku story, but with a bit more...errr...plot? I felt I had to finish this somewhat first. Not exactly happy, but not depressing really. Seifer's just being honest.

I don't know when the new story will be up, because for now I want to finish up existing stories. Anyway, it's hard when there's not many others out there. I've seen some weird pairings with Riku, but SeiferRiku? I'm sad...

Oh well. I'll be back!


End file.
